Feeling Refreshed After the San Diego Shower

Plus: Holiday histrionics on Top Chef

A WHOLE LOT OF MALARKEY

One of the many unique things about San Diego is the dining pattern during the Holiday season. Most cities across the country are humming this time of year, even during the economic challenges we are immersed in. This is when families go shopping and grab a bite, guests arrive from out of town and enjoy dinner at their favorite restaurants, the boss takes out the employees and of course one of them has a few to many cocktails and tells the boss exactly how they feel about him or her, resulting in a very uncomfortable situation.

Most importantly, this is one of the busiest and most profitable times of the year, and I know this because I see how all of the other Oceanaires around the country are doing right now — but not here in our beloved San Diego. What are the reasons this is typically one of the slowest times of the year for my restaurant and all of the other restaurants in San Diego? Yes, the conventions take the holidays off. And yes, a lot of San Diegans head back home to visit family and friends who never left their seasonal upbringings and to catch some boarding or skiing, then run back to sunny San Diego confessing they have had their cold-weather fix. And yes, our shopping downtown and around is not world-class, but why else do we slow this time of year when everyone else celebrates and enjoys holiday cheer?

Until next week, take care and go out and grab a bite!

 

Bah Humbug! The Christmas Episode Top Chef 5 NYC

The judges who stole Christmas! How could they not send someone home last night with all of the “disappointing” food they complained about? I want my Christmas Spam! Someone put a fork in Gene because he is so done; he was almost begging the judges to send him home so he could enjoy the imaginary holiday in Hawaii. I don’t want to ruin anyone’s Christmas or (more p.c.) holiday but there is no Santa and these poor chefs should be getting their SAG cards because of all the acting they are doing on this episode. This episode was shot four or five months ago in a very sunny NYC (check out the shorts some of the contestants are wearing). How hard is it to listen to Christmas music for the entire month of December, let alone listen to it in the middle of the summer, although the Harlem Gospel Singers were amazing! It’s no wonder the food is so confused and not on point — these chefs are completely turned ass-backwards. How are they expected to pretend to cook comfort holiday food for the frigid Martha Stewart? I take that back — I felt the chill when she walked into the room. How hard it must have been to prepare the food for the amfAR event when there wasn’t a butternut squash to found in the state of New York. I ask you, Tom Colicchio, and you, Michelle Bernstein, to step off your soapbox, come around that judges table that hides your cocktails and wine, pull on your aprons and cook the contestants a summer feast this Christmas, you DIG?

Oh that was fun and I love Tom, I was just venting! On my season we had an episode where no one was sent home but that was because our two teams supposedly tied in the restaurant wars (we definitely won). This episode certainly had some losers who made some awful food, and I really don’t get why they decided to keep everyone and not trim some of the fat. Your responses to last week’s blog has most of us on the same page as to who will be in the finals. I didn’t see anyone who picked Eugene or Melissa to go all the way, and there they were on the bottom once again, so let’s make a move and send someone home.

Tom keeps telling us how average the food was on this episode, how the contestants are playing it safe and how “Deviled Eggs” are not going to get you anywhere on Top Chef. The fact is Tom and the other judges are telling the contestants that is exactly what they are looking for by constantly rewarding Ariane with victories for making the simplest and safest food. Lets trace it back to tomato and watermelon on the Today show, turkey to the Foos, lamb to the ladies and cauliflower to Martha. All of the chefs are trying to figure out the game that is Top Chef and the judges are completely confusing them.

Last week we picked the chefs we thought would make it to the finals. This week let's pick who will be sent packing on Christmas Eve. I read Andy Cohen’s blog and he mentioned that two chefs will be sent home next week, so let’s pick them.

I say: Melissa and Eugene

Malarkey Ranking Sweet and Simple:

1) Hosea: Takes the top spot from Fabio, who is struggling.

2) Fabio: I still think he is going to get back on track and I loved the fact that his grandmother is cussing Martha Stewart.

3) Stefan: He’s really good. A handful, yes, but really good.

4) Jeff: Crazy salad with lots of ingredients. Reminds me of myself.

5) Jamie: Let’s see how she responds to being on the bottom; all those seconds don’t seem so bad anymore.

6) Ariane: The little engine that could.

7) Radhika: Just keeps getting better.

8) Leah: I have a feeling she is going to piss of Tom.

9) Carla: She is too nice for this competition.

10) Eugene and Melissa: Should have both left on the last show.

Looking forward to seeing who you think will be the two to go.

Happy (p.c.) holidays my friends. Cheers!

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